 Historic copy of selected parts ofThe Rihla by Ibn Battuta, 1836 CE, Cairo | |
| Author | Ibn Battuta |
|---|---|
| Original title | تحفة النظار في غرائب الأمصار وعجائب الأسفار |
| Language | Arabic |
| Subject | Geography, Exploration |
| Genre | Travelogue |
Publication date | 1355 |
| Publication place | Morocco |
| Media type | |
Riḥla (Arabic:رحلة) refers to both a journey and the written account of that journey, or travelogue. It constitutes a genre ofArabic literature. Associated with the medieval Islamic notion of "travel in search of knowledge" (الرحلة في طلب العلم), theriḥla as a genre of medieval and early-modern Arabic literature usually describes a journey taken with the intent of performing the Hajj, but can include an itinerary that vastly exceeds that original route.[1] The classicalriḥla in medieval Arabictravel literature, like those written byIbn Battuta (known commonly asThe Rihla) andIbn Jubayr, includes a description of the "personalities, places, governments, customs, and curiosities" experienced by the traveler, and usually within the boundaries of the Muslim world.[2] However, the term rihla can be applied to other Arabic travel narratives describing journeys taken for reasons other than pilgrimage; for instance, the 19th–centuryriḥlas of Muhammad as-Saffar[3] andRifa'a al-Tahtawi[4] both follow conventions of the riḥla genre by recording not only the journey to France from Morocco and Egypt, respectively, but also their experiences and observations.
TheRihla travel practice originated inMiddle AgesMorocco and served to connect Muslims of Morocco to the collective consciousness of theummah across the Islamic world, thereby generating a larger sense of community.Rihla consists of three types:[5]
The performance ofRihla was considered inMoorishal-Andalus as a qualifier for teachers and political leaders.[6] These journeys also coincided with the end of theMongol invasions and a new opportunity for Islamic expansion.[7]
The travel narratives ofIbn Jubayr andIbn Battuta are perceived as "archetypical exponents of the flowering of [theriḥla] genre,"[1] but should not be perceived as its founders. Concerning Ibn Jubayr's voyage to Mecca in 1183, one writer claimed that "...his two-year journey made a considerable impact on literary history. His account of his travels and tribulations in the East served as the foundational work of a new genre of writing, the rihla, or the creative travelogue: a mix of personal narrative, description, opinion and anecdote. In following centuries, countless people emulated and even plagiarized him."[8] Travel narratives were written prior to Ibn Jubayr's; for example, the 12th–centuryriḥla ofAbu Bakr ibn al-Arabi, and accounts of foreign lands visited by merchants and diplomats (such as the 9th century accounts of India and China byAbu Zayd al-Sirafi, and the 10th–centuryriḥla byIbn Fadlan with the Abbasid mission to the Volga) long predate Ibn Jubayr's travelogue.[9]
The best-knownrihla narrative isIbn Battuta'sMasterpiece to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling (تحفة النظار في غرائب الأمصار وعجائب الأسفار, orTuḥfat an-Nuẓẓār fī Gharāʾib al-Amṣār wa ʿAjāʾib al-Asfār), often referred to as theTravels of Ibn Battuta (رحلة ابن بطوطة, orRiḥlat Ibn Baṭūṭah). TheTravels was dictated toIbn Juzayy on orders from theMarinid SultanAbu Inan Faris, who was impressed by the story of Ibn Battuta.[10] Although Ibn Battuta was an accomplished and well-documented explorer, his travels had been unknown outside the Islamic world for many years.[11]
TheRihla ofAbdallah al-Tijani describes his 970-day round trip fromTunis toTripoli between 1306 and 1309.[12]